8/21/2014 - Business Owners Point to Email as Most Effective Means of Communication

Based on how things have gone thus far, the vast majority of business owners in the country are confident they'll be able to look back on 2014 as a successful year, according to newly released polling data. Some of their achievements may be attributable to increasing customer engagement with customers.

More than two-thirds of business owners indicated that they anticipate finishing 2014 on a positive note, according to a poll performed by Cox Communications, a broadband services provider.

One of the ways that businesses have been able to succeed is by keeping in touch with customers, whether through in-person events, social marketing, direct mail or telephone. The poll found that more than any other outlet, entrepreneurs ranked email as the most effective tool for customer engagement, indicated as such by more than 80% of approximately 600 small business owners and managers who responded to the survey.

Still, there are some mediums that managers haven't latched onto entirely. For example, in a separate survey performed by staffing services firm OfficeTeam, only 46% of managers said they'd be comfortable being "friended" on Facebook by a client and less than one-third by a co-worker.

Customer engagement, no matter what form it comes in, wouldn't be possible without business owners being fully aware of what their company offers and how their services fulfill a need among consumers. Yet unfortunately, the lifespan of a business can be a short one, particularly for companies that are adversely affected by a weather event. According to the Insurance Information Institute, approximately 25% of businesses never re-open their doors after a disaster.